Fri, 7th August, 2015 Spring Plains State Forest bush camp, Argyle (exploring Heathcote)

7.30am 9 degrees in van but looks like it is going to be a nice day with clear blue sky.

At 9am though it was still only 6 degrees outside.

Waited by the phone ready to answer it with ‘I wake up with Today’ but unfortunately they rang a lady in Melbourne, though she sounded like she needed the $120,000 more. Oh well will keep entering the Sunrise one – at least I don’t have to remember to say anything.

After a cuppa I headed into Heathcote – it had warmed up to 9.6 degrees. We noticed that Cairns had 10 degrees last night – wow that is cold for them!!

Parked near the Info Centre and wandered down the long main (High) street with my little history map. Heathcote (once known as the McIvor Diggings) is at the foot of Mt Ida and is situated amongst National and State Parks and is 220 metres above sea level. Mitchell came through here in 1836 and named McIvor Creek after a member of his party. Then some pastoralists moved into the area creating road side inns along the track. The township developed on the back of a series of gold rushes along McIvor Creek commencing in 1851. One of the major strikes (1852) was at Golden Gully, behind the old courthouse. In 1853 the Government set up a tent based camp here.  Extensive building started: government offices, police barracks, gold office, courthouse, lockup, stables storerooms and living quarters. The hospital was nearby but remained in a tent until 1859. Government officials and police lived in comfort above the dire conditions of the miners in the crowded goldfields.

By 1855, the alluvial gold was running out and reef mining commenced. Consequently the population dropped to about 6,000 by 1860 as ex-miners took up land or began timber cutting in the forests – an industry much aided by the arrival of the railway around 1890. At the peak of the gold rushes there were up to 35,000 people, largely housed in tents and shanties on the fields. 3,000 Chinese walked to the diggings from Robe in South Australia where they had disembarked to avoid paying a tax levied upon Chinese disembarking in Victoria. There were at least 3 breweries, 22 hotels and 2 flour mills. The town was apparently named by Lord Heathcote, not in honour of himself, but because of the quantities of heath growing in the district – if that is plausible!! Although the population remained steady until 1880s, it was down to 1,090 in 1891 as gold reserves dwindled. Now there are the usual businesses and lots of cafes and arts and craft shops lining the nice wide High Street.

First building was the Mechanics Institute – there seems to be one of these in every old town. Not sure why they say Mechanics but it was a reading room with books, newspapers and library so maybe it was to help the miners educate themselves.

Lovely tiled entrance.

The Court House.

Quartz stamper.

Commercial Bank (1886).

Post Office and residence (1890).

Lovely old church, now a nice home.

Flour Mill (1869).

St Johns Anglican Church (1868).

Union Hotel (1856).

This house originally held the Council meetings.

This building was originally the Craven’s General Store til 1941.

Now this one would be a great fixer-upper. Reminds me of Millaa house. So sad to see it all neglected.

The original brick part at the back is regarded as the oldest building in Heathcote.

The Emeu Hotel (1858-1870).

A couple of nice murals beside the hotel.

This general store has had some interesting names over the years, Heathcote Hall, New Era Store, Albion House, Beehive Stores and then Grants Store late it became Goodfellows and IGA Friendly. At the rear was a smokehouse used for producing bacon.

The old shire hall building.

Masonic Temple – still in use today.

Another bank.

The original guttering.

Back to the truck and down beside McIvor Creek to the Valley of Liquidambers. Unfortunately not so pretty in winter!!

I wandered across the swinging bridge – something Steve doesn’t like doing.

Up the road into the National Park area to the Powder Magazine.

I went back to the IGA and bought a couple of things. They charge 5 cents for a plastic bag and the money goes to the Heathcote Health. There is a bit “Going Green” chart on the wall showing the money raised. That didn’t make sense as if you want people to go ‘green’ and use their own bags then there wouldn’t be any money raised. Shouldn’t it be that they donate 5 cents each time someone doesn’t take a plastic bag and brings their own then people would be going ‘Green’. Go figure!!

Got a hot chook for lunch. Steve had prepared lunch for me – witchery grubs out of a rotten tree he got for the fire – I chose the chook!! He is not feeling very rich – no gold again. Looking forward to going home to the Palmer – do hope he finds some when he gets there!!

Quite afternoon listening to some CDs and doing my blog.

Nice evening by the fire. Rang Wendy for a chat. Rang Erica and Terry who are on their way back from Chudleigh Station. Asked her to bring up their information from their trip along the Murray River as we might do that too after Bathurst.

As we were getting ready for bed we heard some ‘locals’ entertaining themselves in the open area further down the road doing doughnuts etc. Luckily they got it out of their systems and then disappeared again.